Case Studies

Blending and concept development

The Swedish wine market, characterized by the strong position of the retail monopoly Systembolaget, is very different compared with a free market. While it is possible to sell wine directly to restaurants, the market still remains dominated by Systembolaget. Those who wish to be successful in Sweden must first understand the Swedish system. In spite of its rather young age, Terrific Wines has a long history of successful projects aiming to bring products into the assortment of Systembolaget.

In most cases, the producer already has a product available and can thus participate in the calls for tenders arranged regularly by Systembolaget. Sometimes, however, the wine importer needs to work with a long-term focus in order to bring about a call for tender targeting a particular geographic area or type of product. Moreover, there may often be an incentive for the producer to adjust the product according to the requests of Systembolaget. In these cases, it is essential to first understand what the monopoly is really looking for and to then blend the product accordingly.

Terrific Wines possesses a team that is unique for Sweden, with solid experience from winemaking as well as blending. It is no coincidence that the company has won a number of calls for tenders over the last couple of years using specially blended products. Very different wines, such as Qrious Semillon from Chile or El Rey Old Vines Garnacha from Campo do Borja in Spain, have proved to be winning concepts, and they were each the result of deliberate blending work combined with an ongoing dialogue with Systembolaget. Terrific Wines did not only provide the product concept and perform the blending at location but also contributed labels and marketing concepts.

Terrific Wines’ strong expertise in wine blending together with thorough knowledge of the Swedish market has also lead many producers to request the company to contribute a “last touch” before bottling a product for the Swedish market. Les Lauzeraies from Tavel and Perez Cruz Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile are examples of products which have benefitted from this kind of service.